


Who Is Gavin Reed?

by scruffyperv (Vyntacular)



Series: Long Live The Trash King [1]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Anxiety, BDSM, D/s, Hint, M/M, Masturbation, Mentions of HankCon - Freeform, Sexual Situations, Voyeurism, break ups, but still there, cigarette use, confused androids, confused detectives, did i mention the unhealthy coping methods, gavin does something stupid with a stranger, mention of AllenGavin, mostly in the background, random hook ups, sexual situations with strangers, thats your warning, unhealthy coping methods
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-11-04 02:21:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17889683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vyntacular/pseuds/scruffyperv
Summary: Shortly after the Android Revolution, RK900 is woken up by Connor and told that his primary function - to hunt Deviants - is no longer applicable. He joins the DPD in an attempt to find a purpose in a job that is at least vaguely similar to his prior function. There he meets the biggest enigma of his time since waking up: Gavin Reed. The detective is a mess of conflicting information and hostile humor, but the longer RK900 works with him the more he finds himself fascinated by this unusual man.





	Who Is Gavin Reed?

**Author's Note:**

> Editing done by my wonderful wonderful Connor/Nines, [fucking-androids](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reyire/pseuds/fucking-androids)
> 
> Got the idea to write this after reading [Five Times People Had the Wrong Idea about Gavin Reed](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13110190/1/Five-Times-People-Had-the-Wrong-Idea-about-Gavin-Reed) and recalling all of my discussions with my partner about the potential character of the briefly shown Gavin Reed. So here is my version of RK900, exploring the traits and oddities of his dear trash panda.

The first time RK900 had been ‘woken up’ had been to run tests and calibrate his systems. In that time he had a purpose: hunt down and eliminate or capture deviants. He had some lesser tasks that involved military capabilities and some law protocols in the prospect of working with armed forces. They said he had a potential to work in military squads all over the world once the deviant uprising was quelled.

The next time he woke up, he was faced with one of his predecessors explaining to him that CyberLife was now in the hands of the androids and that everything had changed. There were no Deviants and, thus, no purpose. He had to figure everything out for himself. That was… challenging. Connor, that was what his predecessor called himself, stuck by him through all of it. The emotions were the worst, but finding a purpose again... That eluded him.

In the end, he wound up working with Connor at the police station. His skills made him a valuable asset to the department and, honestly, he didn’t know what to do with himself outside of that.

That was how, in the first few months of ‘waking up’, he met the mystery called Gavin Reed.

Detective Gavin Reed was to be his new partner. His cool, calculated logic was a perfect contrast to the hot-headed detective and, while RK900 was not pleased to admit it, the detective’s ingenuity and wit complimented him as well. Reed was fiercely opposed to their assignment together and left in a storm of fury that left RK900 struggling to process exactly what had happened.

Connor patted him on the shoulder. “He’s just like that… Don’t let him get to you.” He smiled conspiratorially. “He’s fun to rile up, sometimes. It’s so easy to push his buttons.”

RK900’s processor flashed yellow as he looked back toward where the detective had made his exit. “That doesn’t seem productive to a working partnership. It would be better…”

Connor cut him off, finishing his sentence for him: “To take his eccentric personality into consideration and adjust your behavior to ensure your continued partnership?”

“Correct,” RK900 answered automatically before turning to Connor and furrowing his brow. “How did you know?”

“I thought the same thing when I met Hank.” He smiled at RK900. “Humans don’t work like that though. I think it just frustrates them when you try to predict their desires for them.”

That made no sense, but arguing with his ‘older brother’ also seemed pointless. “Thank you for your advice, Connor,” he replied evenly and then made his way toward Gavin’s desk. He would make this whole transition easier on himself and learn a bit about the detective he was supposed to be working with. Then he could better predict the sort of reactions that Gavin would find helpful.

His desk was oddly neat in comparison to the other detectives. While their desks contained photos and little trinkets of their home lives and interests, his was devoid of these personal touches. No family photos, hardly any trinkets… A small glass jar on the desk was filled with unused match books from various bars. A quick search revealed that the majority of them were gay bars. Was Gavin Reed gay? RK900 filed that information away for later and continued his review of the mostly empty desk. 

A few empty coffee cups adorned the desk but all of his work seemed to have been tidily put away before he had stormed out. Oddly effective for such a volatile man. One cup had a scribbled note in feminine hand: _Cheer up, Asshole!_

Interesting sentiment.

RK900 frowned at the desk, at the lack of evidence for anything particular about him - other than his apparent interest in gay bars, and decided this was a lost battle. He would have to approach Gavin Reed directly if he wanted more information. Or perhaps his coworkers? He was standing there, running through ways to get to know Gavin Reed better, when a voice spoke beside him.

“Gavin blew out of here in a huff, I doubt he’s going to be back at his desk tonight.”

Gavin turned to see Tina Chen standing next to him. She looked mildly amused. RK900 frowned at her. “I’m aware. We were just assigned partners…”

Tina laughed. “Ha! That would do it! Gavin hates working with a partner.”

RK900 raised a brow. “Do you know him well?”

Tina’s bemused expression faded a little as she eyed him. “I do. Why do you ask?”

“He seemed quite frustrated with having me as a partner… I thought it would be wise to get to know him better.”

The woman nodded. “I thought that might be why you were asking… You’d be better off asking him directly. Going behind his back or snooping around his desk isn’t going to help you get on better terms with him.”

RK900 frowned. “That is incredibly unhelpful to my goals.”

Tina laughed and shook her head. “Yeah, exactly. See you later — what do you go by anyway?”

“RK900 is fine.”

Another nod. “See you later, RK900.”

“Good evening, Tina.”

Today had been an entire waste of his time. He returned to Connor to find his elder brother sitting on the edge of his partner’s desk, talking softly with him. His leg brushed Hank’s knee from time to time - a subtle hint of flirtatious affection that he’d grown accustomed to seeing between the pair.

“You look frustrated. Gavin managing to bug you without even being here?” Hank chuckled as he looked up at him.

RK900 frowned at that thought but shook his head. “His absence is wasting my time and the department’s resources. It benefits no one.”

For a moment Hank looked almost sympathetic. Based on Connor’s expression, he was probably recalling doing something similar to Connor. Humans were strange. After a moment, Hank came to a conclusion. “I could use some help with a few things. Connor and I have been trying to wrap up the old Deviant files but new work keeps coming up and they end up getting pushed to the side. Would you mind going through them and closing the ones that are no longer necessary?”

It was better than sitting around doing nothing. “Sure.”

Connor slipped down from the desk. “Here, let me show you what we have so far.”

***

Gavin spent the first few weeks pointedly ignoring him. RK900 became aware of the persistent whispering around the office. They were taking bets on how long it would take for Reed to snap and pull a gun on RK900 or - in more optimistic bets - how long it would take him to give in and start talking to his partner. RK900 took it in stride, more frustrated than anything, but all the while he kept notes on the strange man he’d been assigned to work with.

Gavin Reed was… not what he’d expected. From the conversations he had with Hank and Connor and from watching Reed’s interactions around the office — he had compiled an image of a man who was needlessly aggressive and even openly hostile with his coworkers. He was fiercely ambitious and proud to a point of arrogance, though oddly self depreciating at the same time.

It was a baffling contrast.

Especially once he began to notice more intimate details about him. Like how he wore designer clothes, and seemed to actually take a great deal of care with his appearance. Even his nails were well manicured. So then why did Gavin boastfully call himself trash when chatting with Tina?

Asking Connor and Hank didn’t really give him any proper answers. Hank quoted something called a Vine; Connor literally just sighed and said it was some ‘old millennial thing’ and not to bother googling it because it’d just be a waste of data and a horrible time sink.

Of all things, Gavin seemed to have an unnecessarily fixated aggravation with Lt. Anderson. Out of everyone in the office, he seemed to single out Hank as the target for his rage. RK900 could see no point for it. Hank was overly tolerant of Gavin’s pointless anger, often shrugging off RK900’s attempts at apologizing for his partner’s brash behavior, and a commendable Lt. in all other regards. Connor, oddly enough, provided clarification for that.

Before they had become partners, in the office and outside of it, Hank had been less… commendable. “Worse than Gavin” was not what he expected to hear in description of Hank, especially not from Connor, but it made Gavin’s attitude make a lot more sense. Connor explained the three years that Anderson had been drunk on the job, frequently didn’t show up to his cases, and his long, long list of disciplinary citations. And he retained his position as Lieutenant.

Meanwhile, Gavin had been bullheadedly charging up the ranks, gunning for the top. Only to be stopped by Hank’s seniority. It must’ve been infuriating. A few months of corrected behavior couldn’t soothe that. Even Hank realized that.

RK900 sat at the desk across from Gavin’s and watched the detective sitting with his feet up on his desk, texting someone. He wore a little half smirk, but his fingers tapped impatiently on the phone whenever they weren’t typing. Over the next few minutes his smirk rapidly faded, replaced by a clear frustration. Abruptly he kicked away from his desk, shoved his phone into his pocket, and popped open one of his drawers. A pack of cigarettes and a lighter were retrieved before he turned and stormed away.

RK900 blinked at his path. He wasn’t going outside. The only areas in that direction - ah, lead to the roof. Slowly he rose to his feet and made his way toward the roof exit, surprised by the gnawing curiosity he felt over his partner’s sudden change in demeanor.

He found Gavin huddled against the blistering cold, angrily trying to spark his lighter. He swore viciously around the cigarette in his mouth and RK900 couldn’t help but notice the way his hand trembled. Had something happened?

Without saying anything, he stepped into the wind and held up a large hand to cup Gavin’s cigarette. The detective didn’t respond as he lit his cigarette finally and slumped back against the wall of the exit to take a deep drag. RK900 remained quiet, just watching the detective as his stress melted, but now he noticed something that he’d overlooked many other times. The detective wore a ring on his right hand and currently he was rubbing it with his thumb. He’d seen Gavin do this simple action dozens of times, but in the stillness of the rooftop it suddenly seemed more important.

He filed the information away for later.

Gavin had abruptly pushed off the wall, ground out his cigarette in a nearby tray, and started toward the door — only to realize that RK900 was between him and his escape. The detective’s gaze darted everywhere except for RK900 for a moment but finally his attention flicked back up to the android. Why had he never noticed that the detective’s eyes were a soft sort of gray-green? Perhaps it was the way the wind had reddened his cheeks? He noticed Gavin’s gaze flick up to his LED and he knew it must’ve switched to yellow to process. RK900 felt… he didn’t actually know what this feeling meant… and his confusion was clearly displayed. He forced himself to be calm as the detective finally spoke.

“Thanks… Tin Man… For the light… and the company.” His thumb desperately brushed against his ring, spinning it slightly.

RK900 stepped to the side, giving Gavin room to escape. “You’re welcome.”

For a split second, Gavin Reed smiled at him. It wasn’t a sneer or a smirk, but a genuine smile. And then he squared his shoulders and vanished into the building once more.

RK900 stood there for a few minutes longer, LED flashing rapidly as he tried to calculate his feelings. Was he simply excited that the detective had acknowledged him? But no, his mind kept flashing to the green glow in his gray eyes and the softness of his smile, the flushed pinkness to them against his olive skin. His detective was beautiful.

Something changed that day. Gavin stopped ignoring him and started actually taking his advice or commentary into consideration. He still didn’t offer him much in the way of casual conversation, but he wasn’t slinging insults at him either. More than that, however, was Gavin’s overall demeanor. He seemed stiffer and more jumpy. His foot tapped against the floor while he was reading over case files, and he was always chewing gum or sucking on hard candies.

It irritated him that he couldn’t figure out what had changed to make Gavin’s behavior alter so abruptly.

One afternoon he was sitting at his desk, watching Gavin in the break room as he waited for his coffee. His foot tapped against the floor and he spun the ring around his finger with his opposite hand, twisting it in an almost desperate way. He hadn’t noticed that he’d begun frowning until Connor slipped up beside him.

“What’s wrong, RK900?”

His LED flashed yellow in surprise and he jerked his head up to acknowledge Connor. “Nothing… I was just lost in thought.” Yet, even as he was saying this, his gaze drifted back to Gavin in the break room. His coffee had finished, but Tina had also appeared. Gavin still looked tense, but he was no longer anxiously tapping his foot. Good.

Connor was smiling when he looked up again. “Lost in thought about Gavin?”

RK900 frowned. “Yes. His behavior has been different this week. I don’t understand the change. Nothing is different here.”

“Maybe something’s going on at home? Home life can affect people just as much as their job.”

RK900 paused. He hadn’t considered Gavin’s home life in his compiled data about Gavin Reed. From what he’d gathered of the office, only Tina actually knew Gavin outside of work. A few of the other employees clearly had gone out drinking with him, but none of them seemed to actually know him like Tina did. “I didn’t consider that,” he admitted after a moment. “Would it be correct of me to ask him about it?”

Connor shrugged. “I never know with Gavin. He’s tried to punch me over asking him about case files before. I honestly avoid him as much as possible.” The lithe android glanced toward the break room for a moment and then turned back toward his original destination. “In fact, that’s my cue. We’ll talk more after work, okay?”

“Ah… Okay.” RK900 watched Connor walk away, narrowly missing Gavin’s arrival. The detective huffed as he slumped into his chair and took a sip of his coffee, growling as it scalded his mouth. He set the offending drink down and opened his drawer, searching for something else to preoccupy his mouth.

“You and the Tin Can gossiping about me? He sure ran off fast enough,” Gavin added with a sneer.

RK900 turned his full attention to Gavin, eyes lingering on the man’s face… the curve of his lips. He was even handsome when he was scowling like this. A spatter of freckles washed over his cheeks, marred slightly by the old scar that crossed his nose. He hadn’t noticed the smaller one near his upper lip. His chest felt unreasonably tight — his breathing programs were not impacted by anything, his simulated functions were running smoothly. There was no reason that he should feel that way.

“I was simply noting that your stress levels have been elevated this week.” RK900 debated what to say next. “I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to ask you directly, and Connor had no advice on that either, so: Is something the matter, detective?”

This was clearly not the anticipated answer. Gavin blinked once, startled by the direct question, and then his teeth sunk into his lower lip as he struggled with an answer. One part defiance, one part disdain, and a mix of aggressive humor.

“What’s it to you, Tin Man?”

Exactly as RK900 had predicted. His lips quirked up in a smile, unable to resist the flush of pleasure at the very expected reaction. “I was simply concerned for your wellbeing.”

Once again Gavin was at a loss. His eyes flicked over RK900’s face, searching for some sign of duplicity in his words. “Pff, yeah right. If you’re worried about my productivity, I’m just fine.”

That wasn’t it at all, but he’d noticed Gavin’s thumb absently fidgeting with the ring once more and he could feel the vibration of his foot beneath the table. He decided it was best not to pry after all. “That is good to know,” he replied simply. “Then we can proceed with this investigation we just received?”

Gavin rolled his eyes. “Yeah, Tin Man. Tell me what we’ve got. I’ll down my coffee and we can go.”

The android’s gaze lingered on Gavin’s face for a moment, the dark circles underneath his eyes… He looked exhausted and wired at the same time. He forced himself to focus on work instead of the way Gavin’s lips set as he waited for more information, or the curious quirk of his eyebrow at RK900’s momentary delay.

He pulled up their current case and let work distract his detective. Gavin always seemed happier when he was working on a case. He wasn’t sure why that thought left him feeling somewhat bitter and incapable, but he pushed it aside to focus on the task at hand. 

***

RK900 stepped outside into the cool night air. His shift ended a full two hours before Connor and Hank’s and that left him with nothing to do until his ‘family’ was ready to return home as well. He could’ve just taken a cab back on his own, but he didn’t feel like returning just to pet Sumo and read a book. As he was considering what to do with his evening, a conversation drifted into his attention.

He heard Gavin’s voice from around the corner. Thoughtlessly, he stepped toward the sound before the voice of Tina Chen became clear enough to understand.

“So I guess that means I’m picking you up tomorrow?” She was laughing as she spoke.

Gavin sounded… stressed. Their case this afternoon had gone poorly and he’d been sullen and fidgety ever since. “Ha. Yeah. Or I can take a cab in. Whichever.”

Tina didn’t pause. “I’m picking you up.” Her voice was stern and, before Gavin could respond, she continued: “Get some… but be careful, alright?”

Gavin was silent for a moment, long enough that RK900 thought he might’ve just walked off without responding, but he finally did respond. “Yeah, Tina. I’ll be careful… I just need to blow off some steam. See you in the morning.”

“Good,” she sighed. “See you in the morning.”

Tina Chen swept past him a few minutes later, looking anxious and preoccupied to the point that she didn’t even seem to notice him lingering by the wall. He watched her make her way to the parking garage and then turned the corner to see where Gavin was going.

He had his hood up as he strode down the street, but the purpose in his steps suggested he already knew where he was going.

RK900 knew he shouldn’t follow Gavin, but something compelled him to. It made his thirium pump sputter when he tried to think of what Tina had been warning him against. He’d considered the possibility that Gavin might be self-destructive when stressed, but he hadn’t yet confirmed it. From overheard conversations and a few context clues, he’d determined that Gavin usually spent a lot of time at the gym when he was having a rough time at work, but he didn’t have his gym bag today and he’d never caught Tina telling him to be careful before either.

Why did this frustrate him so much? Why couldn’t he get this man out of his mind?

They walked for nearly half an hour in the cold and, eventually, arrived at a local bar. He recognized the establishment’s name from one of the many matchbooks he’d seen in Gavin’s little collection. So, a gay bar, and not a particularly upscale one either. He slipped inside and immediately found a corner where he wouldn’t draw too much attention. Gavin went straight to the bar, ordered himself a drink, and proceeded to get wasted.

RK900 was not surprised that he drank, but he was surprised to see the man Gavin was when he was drunk. He laughed quite easily and was very free with his affection when other men came to sit with him. He even left the bar to dance with more than one of them. RK900 couldn’t take his eyes off of him. The way he moved, the way his cheeks flushed with pleasure when a handsome man paid attention to him… The way he let their hands wander over his body while they danced together.

It took surprising self control to watch this display. Especially once he saw one of these dance partners slide their arms around Gavin’s waist and whisper something in his ear. Gavin’s lips curled into a cattish smile and he pressed his body back against the other man. “Your place or mine?” RK900 could read the question on his lips. The reply was whispered into Gavin’s ear and the man laughed unabashedly before turning and dragging the man toward the restroom.

RK900 balked. Really? The filthy human couldn’t even bother to take Gavin back to his place? No. That didn’t matter. The filthy human didn’t even care that Gavin was clearly wasted! He stood up abruptly before he even realized he was doing it but once he was on his feet, he faltered. It would be wrong of him to barge in on Gavin and this man… even if he didn’t approve of the interaction. Gavin clearly knew what he was doing. He’d come here for this, RK900 realized, and something about that made him slump back into the booth.

Disappointment. That’s what he was feeling.

Only then did the rest of it fall into place. He had feelings for his detective. He didn’t want this other man touching him. After spending the evening watching Gavin like this, he couldn’t help but realize what he wanted: he wanted to be the man that made Gavin smile when his lips brushed his ear. He wanted Gavin to laugh when his fingers brushed the waist of his pants. He wanted Gavin to desire him like he desired the jackass that had just lured him into the bathroom for a quick fuck.

For a moment curiosity almost made him slip into the restroom just to get a glimpse of what his detective would look like in that position… His fingers gripped the table edge in frustration.

Nearly 20 minutes later, Gavin and the Jerk emerged from the bathroom. Gavin was disheveled, his cheeks flushed, but instead of looking pleased like RK900 thought he would, he looked frustrated… upset even? The android’s gaze darted from the Jerk to his Gavin and he felt a wave of heat flush through him. What had happened? Gavin grabbed his coat off of the chair he’d been sitting at, drunkenly tugged it on and vanished out the door.

RK900 glanced back toward The Jerk and overheard enough to understand what had happened. “Fucking weirdo”. He’d rejected Gavin? RK900 was outside before he could stop himself, before Gavin would have safely gotten out of view. He found the man standing in the snow, furiously struggling with his lighter against the wind and cursing his trembling hands as he did. Thoughtlessly, he stepped into the wind and cupped Gavin’s hands to steady them.

Gavin tensed, eyes wide as he stared up at the android, but RK900 nodded toward his cigarette. “Detective,” he muttered as casually as he could manage, “what are you doing out in the snow so late? It’s ill advised for your health.”

Gavin laughed, the sound rough and shaky. “Oh drop the robot shtick, you bastard.” But he lit his cigarette and he didn’t try to escape from the android’s closeness. “And I went out for a drink, what’s it to you?”

He wanted to say something to the effect of: then how did your shirt wind up inside out? Instead he chuckled. “Connor’s shift is later than mine. I was trying to find something to do and here you are, unable to light your cigarette without me. I’d be a poor partner to let you struggle with it.”

This time, after a long drag of his cigarette, Gavin’s laughter was actually genuine. “You’re a piece of work, Nines.” It was clear from the slight slur in his words and the glassy look in his eyes that he was trashed. 

RK900 leaned a little closer. “Nines?”

“Yeah. You. Nines.” He couldn’t quite meet RK900’s gaze as he spoke. His voice trembled slightly as he continued. “Do me a favor, yeah? Call a cab for me.”

Gavin remained surprisingly close to him, almost pressed against him now as he drew puffs of his cigarette, and Nines couldn’t bring himself to move away. Carefully he placed an arm around Gavin, supporting him slightly. “Of course,” he replied softly. “Back to your place?”

Gavin glanced down at Nines’ arm around him and then nodded slowly. “Yeah.”

Nines never would’ve let go if he had the choice. The feeling of this man against him felt better than anything he’d experienced since waking up. He let Gavin take shelter from the wind in his arms as he contacted a cab. “They’ll be here in about 10 minutes. Do you need anything else, Gavin?”

The use of his name seemed to break through the fog Gavin was in. He looked up, blinking curiously up at Nines. He failed completely at responding.

Nines slowly smirked. “Gavin?” He repeated.

Gavin cleared his throat and looked away abruptly. “I was just going to call take out when I got home. I’m fine.”

Nines let himself relax slightly, but he didn’t move away from Gavin. “Alright. I’ll stay with you until the cab arrives.”

Gavin flushed pink all the way to his ears, a sight that made Nines’ pump skip erratically. For a moment all he could process was Cute but he knew that speaking that word would only anger Gavin. The man pressed against him properly now, his back flush against Nines’s body, with Nines’ arms wrapped around him. He rested his chin gently on Gavin’s head while telling himself that he was just sheltering Gavin from the cold… But he couldn’t deny the pleasure he felt in getting to hold the detective so possessively. For a few moments he could feel what he’d envied so desperately as he watched Gavin dance with strangers. 

His detective. His Gavin.

For a moment he wanted to ask why that man had rejected him, but it would ruin this moment. His ten precious minutes holding Gavin like Gavin was his without any of the man’s usual defensive airs.

Then the cab pulled up and the spell was broken. Gavin pulled away from Nines, crushed his cigarette under his foot, and started toward the cab. Nines let him go, LED flashing yellow in the darkness, and then Gavin looked back, looked up to his LED, and then back to his face. “Thanks for… tonight… I…” He faltered and then grabbed the door to the cab. “I just appreciate it.” He added quickly.

Nines just smiled, forced himself to be calm so that his LED settled back to blue, and nodded. “Of course, Gavin. Take care of yourself.”

Gavin was red up to his ears again, but he ducked into the cab and closed the door before he could risk further embarrassing himself. Nines stood in the snow and watched the cab pull away with a twinge of regret. He could have at least attempted to go with him… but no, that would overstep a boundary that Nines wasn’t ready to risk. Instead, when Gavin got home, he’d find his fare already paid. It was the least Nines could do. He’d never found a use for his money before.

In the emptiness of the night, he reconstructed that moment. The memory of Gavin pressed against him, slowly feeling his trembling relaxing into the peaceful puffs as he smoked his cigarette. It would probably never happen again, but he would savor it for as long as he functioned. With a sigh he started back toward the department. Hank and Connor should be done soon. He’d ride home with them.

***

Before that night, Nines had never considered sexuality. It was simply a thing that humans dealt with. Of course, he was aware that there were relationships between humans and androids — Hank and Connor shared a very noisy one that was near impossible to ignore — but everything he’d heard about Reed suggested that he would be the last person interested in such a thing. Connor even balked at the mere idea of being stuck in a room with the man.

As hostile and instigative as Gavin was, Nines didn’t seem to have that trouble with him.

He’d seen enough of the detective’s more vulnerable sides to realize there was more to him than a fight waiting to happen. In fact, it seemed like most of the fights he started were ones he never expected to win. He enjoyed the rush, as far as Nines could tell, and that was about it.

Such an odd man… But Nines was absolutely enamored with him.

They didn’t mention that night in the snow again, though Nines did notice that Gavin seemed more distant than usual for a few days following the event. As the days passed, however, Gavin relaxed back into his usual self… That is to say, anxious and fidgety. 

Anxious. He’d picked up that detail about Gavin Reed early on but he hadn’t thought to use it to define him before. Gavin Reed had anxiety. That’s why he was fidgety and prone to fight or flight behavior. In fact, the majority of his ‘hostile’ interactions were just misread anxious tics. The resulting confusion only serving to make Gavin actually frustrated and, before long, he was angry as well as anxious.

This frequently lead to Gavin storming off to the roof.

Nines followed him up from time to time and, mostly, just stood with him in silence. It seemed to help most days. Others, not so much. Usually Gavin was silent, just breathing between puffs of his cigarette, but other days he paced and ranted, growling about nothing in particular. Nines categorized those as bad days and his partner usually didn’t last out the whole work day when outbreaks like that happened. Nines was happy to cover for him on those days, though it worried him when the detective vanished like that.

One day he noticed that he wasn’t the only one watching the door in the wake of Gavin’s exit. Tina was too. Their gazes crossed as they both accepted that Gavin wasn’t coming back and, for a moment, he saw his own concern reflected in Tina’s eyes. She frowned and then made her way over to him.

“What’s going on between you two?”

“What?” Nines was shocked by the abrupt accusation. “Nothing is going on!”

“Gavin’s not fucking acting like himself. Usually he’s not so hung up over break ups, and I see the way you look at him. Are you fucking him?”

Nines’ LED was instantly red. “What?!” He glanced back toward the door. His behavior had started nearly a month ago and had escalated swiftly since then. “He’s upset over a break up?”

Tina’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not sleeping with Gavin?”

“No, our relationship is strictly professional.” He wished it wasn’t… but that was neither here nor there. “Why would Gavin be interested in me of all people? He makes no secret of his distaste for androids.”

Tina continued to glare at him suspiciously, but his steadily flashing LED seemed to convince her that his surprise was real. “Well, fuck. Sorry for that… I just… Gavin usually talks to me about this shit, and he’s been real withdrawn this time. I was hoping…”

“That I had more answers than you did?”

She sighed. “Yes. It was foolish… I’ll have to go over after my shift tonight and talk to him.”

Nines hesitated. A part of him desperately wanted to go in her stead. The same part of him that wished she hadn’t been wrong when she’d accused him of sleeping with Gavin. After a moment he just nodded. “If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know… He is my partner, and if I’m to blame for his behavior than I would rather know.”

Tina tilted her head and then tapped her temple. “You’re still flashing red. That’s uhh, not good right?”

Nines frowned. “Processing complicated tasks, that’s all. I’m still struggling to understand more human feelings…” He hesitated and then continued. “I’m worried about him too,” he confessed. “I can’t help but notice his stress levels have been high and his productivity is down… Even I know that his work is very important to him.”

Tina nodded. “I get that.” She patted his shoulder. “Don’t let him fuck up your work. Gavin’s just a mess sometimes.” She turned away before Nines could bring himself to ask her about the club, and why she had been begging Gavin to be careful. If she was worried then, shouldn’t she be worried now? He just wished he knew what she had been worried about in the first place.

Why? So he could hunt Gavin down and force his protection on him? … Yes. That was 100% what he wanted. He wanted Gavin safe, happy. 

Why did Gavin insist on making that so challenging?

***

Another week, another breakdown. Gavin had been drinking coffee and taking frequent smoke breaks, and he’d left the vast majority of their paperwork up to Nines. That wasn’t like him in the least. Tina had been giving him a dark look for the last couple days too and he wasn’t entirely sure what it meant. She’d tell him if he’d done something to inspire this behavior in Reed, wouldn’t she?

The idea gnawed at him.

After a particularly nasty argument with Hank, Gavin stormed up onto the roof for his usual smoke. Except, this time he found Gavin pressed against the wall in his usual spot with his hood up. No puffs of smoke, just a frustrated glower. Upon closer inspection, Nines noted that the detective was shaking heavily and his breathing had accelerated to an unhealthy speed.

Hyperventilating?

He moved without thinking, reaching out to touch Gavin’s shoulder, but the man yanked away roughly. The motion was enough to upset his balance on the icy rooftop. In a rush Gavin was suddenly on his ass and staring up at him as if he’d shoved him there. Bristling like a furious cat, Gavin scrambled to his feet, swore aggressively at him, and stormed away all while Nines stood in mild shock.

Nines was torn between his concern for the detective - who’s heart rate was far too rapid to be safe - and the strange clenching feeling in his own chest. The look Gavin had given him… He’d never seen the detective so furious with him and for some reason the sight of it gnawed at him.

Steadying his thoughts, Nines turned and hurried back down the stairwell in pursuit of his detective. He found him, but only briefly. Gavin was just inside the front door, easily located because he was yelling. It wasn’t like him to start a yelling match in the middle of the office - snide comments, yes, but not off the handle yelling. Nines brows furrowed and he moved out into the reception area in time to see Gavin vanish outside with a furious Tina standing at the door.

“What the fuck is his problem!?” She scowled to herself as he stormed past Nines, oblivious to his presence.

He glanced between her and the door. Shouldn’t she stop him? This wasn’t normal…

Nines pushed past a few confused onlookers and out into the street. He needed to find Gavin. Something was wrong and he couldn’t just sit back and wait to see what happened. The thought of Gavin getting hurt made his system malfunction, unable to process the actual probability of that likelihood or the various scenarios that he’d be able to find his detective. It was frustrating beyond comprehension because it was also preventing Nines from finding him to ensure he was safe.

It should not have taken him four hours to locate one man, but when Gavin wanted to disappear apparently he was really good at it. None of his local ‘spots’ revealed any signs of Gavin’s presence. None of his more uncommon spots that Nines had taken note of had him either. He should’ve found the man wasted in a bar somewhere, trying to get laid, but no one had even served him a drink!

When he finally did find a bar - an hour’s drive away from work - that had _seen_ Gavin, they had only mentioned that he left with a guy two hours prior. Apparently he was a handsome man and had bought Gavin several drinks before the pair left. The young bartender hadn’t thought much of it, but the concerned detective questioning them had them rambling that the ‘man with the scar’ had been quite heavily intoxicated and maybe they should’ve called him a cab instead…

Nines did a wonderful imitation of a man not currently screaming inside, and stepped out into the night again. As Spring was want to do, the temperatures had begun dropping again. He searched the street, wondering if Gavin and his suitor had left by foot or if they’d taken a cab. Surely Gavin was safe… But he hadn’t answered any of Nines’ texts either.

It was wrong, Nines knew it was wrong, but fear gnawed at him - fear and something else he couldn’t process in the thick of the moment. He hacked into Gavin’s phone. A part of him knew this was ridiculous and invasive… And then of course he caught the top messages… He wasn’t surprised to see that Gavin was part of one of those hook up apps… but that he’d contacted more than one person in the last few hours made Nines tense up. Three had answered in three separate hours. If he read the messages correctly, Gavin had caught up with two of the three and was en route to the third.

The location was a seedy bar near the outskirts of town. The sender was just as seedy. Gavin’s message simply implied that he was up for anything that this guy wanted and the creep replied that he’d put him to good use. Nines grit his teeth, LED flashing red. Fear, yes, but the something else had grown impossible to ignore: _jealousy_.

He pulled up the GPS on Gavin’s phone and located him. No longer at the bar, but close to it… In an alley? A pang of anxiety. What if he was too late. He didn’t care that Gavin wanted to sleep with random men - well, on some level he did - but the idea of him being hurt, left for dead or — ERROR. He just had to find him. He _had_ to.

Lost in his panic, he barely noticed when he reached the alley that Gavin’s GPS had lead him to. He turned the corner, stepping into the darkened corridor, and immediately his eyes fell on Gavin. Pants around his thighs, face flushed with liquor, and being slammed up against the alley wall by some guy. He was screwing Gavin hard, but Gavin’s expression was a mixture of boredom and frustration… Until their eyes met.

That was the moment when Nines realized he had frozen at the entrance of the alley and was presently unable to tear his eyes off of Gavin. Suddenly Gavin’s hands were over his mouth and the look of bored frustration transformed into humiliation… and he climaxed, hard. When he was spent he slumped against the crate for a moment, getting his bearings probably, but the momentarily broken eye contact freed Nines from his paralysis. Without a word he summoned a taxi, turned on his heel and left.

He’d hardly made it a few feet before he heard the familiar gait of Gavin’s shoes against pavement. Instinctively he paused and, from behind him, Gavin called out to him… So he turned — only to have to scoop Gavin into his arms to stop the man from drunkenly knocking them both over. Gavin leaned against him as Nines stood ramrod straight, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

“Gavin…” He had to chose his words carefully. Emotions threatened to overwhelm him, to make him say foolish things that didn’t matter. “I apologize for interrupting. It wasn’t my place …” 

But Gavin only pressed himself more fully against Nines, his face flush against the android’s chest. “No, it’s okay… wait. I mean — _you_ shouldn’t be apologizing. I wasn’t exactly being _private_.”

Nines didn’t have time to respond, not before Gavin’s hands slipped between his thighs and the detective grabbed his erection through his pants with both hands. It took all of his power to resist the urge to moan in delight at the sensation, though he couldn’t stop the rush of simulated air.

“Did you get off on that?” Gavin’s fingers kneaded Nines’ cock through his pants. “Do you want a piece of me too?”

 _Yes._ No. No, he couldn’t say that. A strange noise escaped him, frustration and need rolled into one heated sound… and then they weren’t alone. The guy from the alley was screaming and cursing about how he wasn’t finished with Gavin before turning his ire onto Nines. That would’ve been fine, if he hadn’t grabbed Gavin’s arm and started making demands. He pulled Gavin flush against him and, as the guy floundered in surprise, he punched him.

Hard enough to send him down in one hit. The sight of the asshole on the ground pleased him, enough so that he wanted to gloat over it… Before he came back to himself. “Damnit Gavin! How do you do this to me?”

Just then his cab arrived. He quickly changed the destination from home to Gavin’s house, opened the door and threw his partner inside before following him into the cab. Already Gavin was crawling up to him and making lewd suggestions. If Nines gave him half the chance the man would’ve been in his lap riding him in front of the taxi’s surveillance.

“No! I mean, yes... but you need to talk to me first — and preferably while _sober_.”

“But we could —“

“No! I want… I don’t want a drunk one night stand.”

Gavin drooped against his seat. “I… What more could you want from _me_?”

Nines hesitated, confusion and hurt warring for dominance of his emotions, but he just needed the basics: “I just… I don’t want to be some guy you fuck and forget. I like you, Gavin.”

He could see the protest all over Gavin’s features, but instead of fighting Gavin just slumped further down in his seat. “O-Okay…” He worried at his lower lip for a moment. “Can I just be close to you for now? I’m not feeling too hot…” 

“Of course.” Nines opened his arms for Gavin and the detective crawled closer to lay his head on Nines’ chest.

“Cool. I’m going to go ahead and black out then… My apartment key is in my back pocket… It’s got, uhh… cat ears.”

Gavin had barely finished telling Nines that when he slumped against him fully. Dead weight and a slower breathing pattern — Gavin had fallen asleep on him. That was alright, perhaps better than simply alright… He wasn’t sure if he was emotionally ready to handle a conversation with Gavin.

Not after what he’d witnessed… And the feelings it had stirred up inside of him.

Gavin asleep in his arms gave him time to process a bit. And to ignore the aching need in his pants that Gavin’s hand so unhelpfully had fallen against when he passed out. Nines spent a few moments attempting to silence the arousal himself and then, out of desperation, switched off the function entirely. He needed to focus on what to do, how he wanted to approach this situation, and all he could think about was how badly he wanted to accept Gavin’s sexual advances.

He could have Gavin, finally, and Gavin _wanted_ him.

The thought made his pump sputter and his LED cycled between red and yellow for a few moments. He wanted that. Desperately.

Finally, the cab arrived at its destination.

Nines gently fished the key out of Gavin’s back pocket and then assisted the barely conscious man to the elevator and then into his bedroom. He didn’t absorb much about the house aside from the fact that it was as meticulously kept as his desk was. He smiled to himself about that. More than once he’d overheard coworkers joking about how Gavin was probably a slob.

Nines was pleased that he knew his detective better than they did.

He got him into bed, helped him out of his clothes until he was just wearing his boxers and a shirt, and then went in search of a washrag to clean the dirt off of him. The guy in the alley had literally shoved his face into the bricks… Gavin was a mess.

The bathroom was also the way Nines had expected it to be: pristinely kept and full of high end grooming products. He located some cleaning wipes and made a few mental notes on the scents that Gavin liked to adorn himself with. Cloves and other musky spices — very masculine but an interesting choice. He returned to find Gavin looking, for the first time since he’d met the man, positively serene.

_I love him._

The thought startled him a little, but he couldn’t deny the truth of it. Somehow he had fallen in love with Gavin Reed.

Once he was properly clean, Nines gently touched Gavin’s cheek and ran his fingers up through the man’s hair. What did it look like without the product he used to keep it in place? Nines predicted that it might be somewhat curly, wavy at very least, but he couldn’t know for sure until the gel was washed out. As his fingers brushed along Gavin’s skin, Gavin sighed softly and nuzzled his face against Nines’ palm.

A flush of pleasure raced through him. _Mine_. He smiled to himself, pump pounding with excitement, and forced himself to pull away from Gavin. He didn’t want to stop watching the man in his peaceful slumber, but there was a driving curiosity begging him to explore Gavin’s apartment.

He could _finally_ learn more about his detective.

In a stark contrast to Gavin’s desk, his apartment had a lot of personal charm. A good amount of it was devoted to his two cats. There were a couple cat trees and scratching posts around the apartment, complete with an arsenal of little toys scattered around the floor. The cats themselves watched warily from within their homes, not yet willing to come out and introduce themselves to him. Thankfully, two bowls in the kitchen provided their names: Morgan and Griff. Adorable.

Aside from cats, Gavin had a noted interest in entertainment media. Video games and movies adorned the entertainment center that was the center piece of his sitting room, as well as posters for games, bands, and movies on the walls. He seemed to have a good amount of things with signatures on them that he was quite proud of considering they were framed. 

Like his desk, however, Nines could find no sign of family photos, or many photos at all. One bookshelf in the room had a single digital frame rotating through a variety of photos. Nines lost track of time as he peered at the frame, watching the photos change from time to time. The majority were photos of his cats, but a few contained pictures of Gavin with friends. Tina was a predominant figure in many of these photos, and it seemed like the photos went back a good many years. Childhood friends then?

That probably explained the asian flare that his kitchen hinted at. Woks hung from a rack above the sink, a rice cooker was currently flashing ‘warm’, and drawers contained more chopsticks than western utensils. The evidence suggested that he could probably cook, at least decently enough to feed himself, but when Nines looked in the fridge he found it fairly empty… aside for a number of take out containers.

He closed the door and reconsidered the numerous restaurant menus fixed to the front of his fridge — primarily held in place by magnets of adorable cats or snarky quotes. Some were of adorable cats with snarky quotes around them. Nines found himself smiling as he read them all. A photo of a raccoon was printed out and pinned to the freezer door with “trash panda” written beneath it. It looked like it had seen more than a few years of its own, and considerably more than the collection of take out menus. Beside the trash panda bulletin was a pad that declared itself a shopping list. In the same handwriting that the _'Cheer up, Asshole_ ' note was in and a dozen similarly signed coffees Nines had seen over the last few weeks, was a small note reading: _Buy some actual food, Trash King._

Nines wondered if this was actually Tina’s doing.

A similar note was on a post it above the rice cooker. _‘I made you Nan’s coconut rice. Love ya, loser.’_

Jealousy was a very weird feeling. That he felt it toward Tina when Gavin had a very clear interest in men seemed inappropriate… but it was there nonetheless.

Nines forced himself to turn away from the kitchen and to head back toward the bedroom. It baffled him to no end that a man as meticulous and tidy as Gavin would constantly call himself Trash King, especially with the care put into his own appearance… Then again, he recalled the alley and the look of shame in Gavin’s eyes as he climaxed. Did he enjoy self depreciation? Tina seemed to embrace it, constantly calling him names even while clearly doting on him.

A soft whimper brought him back to reality and he turned into the bedroom to find Gavin tossing and turning in bed. He whimpered anxiously as he shifted, fingers groping at the sheets. Nines’ LED flashed between yellow and red as he slipped onto the bed beside Gavin and gently reached out to stroke his cheek once more.

“There, there,” he whispered. “It’s alright.”

Gavin sighed softly in his sleep… and then his eyes fluttered open. In the dim light of his room, his eyes were more gray than green. Then they widened in shock and he sat up sharply, jerking away from Nines in the process. “What?!” He sputtered. When he finally processed that the person before him was actually Nines, he relaxed slightly and his face wrinkled with frustration. “What are you doing in my apartment???”

“You were drunk? I brought you home… Do you…” He didn’t have to finish his sentence before Gavin’s face heated to a lovely cherry pink, ears and all. He definitely remembered what had happened.

“Fuck…” He swayed slightly and reached up to clutch his head. “Fuck, fuck fuck… I… I need a few human moments just… uhm… Don’t… leave?”

Nines had never heard Gavin sound so uncertain or afraid. “I’ll stay right here. Take your time.”

Gavin brushed away the blankets as he stood up to head to the bathroom, realized he was only in his boxers, and flushed again as he hurried into the bathroom. Nines watched him go with a faint smile. Did anyone know he was such an easily flustered man? It pleased him to think he was one of the very few people who did.

Nines laid back into the bed, letting his thoughts drift to imagining what it might be like to have Gavin in bed with him. He struggled to keep his thoughts clean, but time and time again they returned to the image of Gavin in that alley. Something had struck him in that mortifying moment — Gavin had orgasmed the moment their eyes had met and it had frozen up all of his systems. He’d been transfixed by that moment, by the way Gavin looked as he climaxed, and the way that Gavin seemed just as unable to look away as he was.

He replayed the image over and over again, studying Gavin’s face… The look in his eyes, the way he had to silence himself from crying out. What would he have said? Had he thought to call out to Nines then? A shiver ran through him. Excitement and desire. He would’ve liked to see that disgusting man’s reaction to Gavin crying out _his_ name even while being fucked by someone else.

It made him think of the rush of emotions he’d felt when that man had dared to lay a hand on _his_ Gavin. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to have felt or done in that moment, but he was certain it shouldn’t have involved knocking out a perfect stranger. Nor should he have felt so satisfied to see him hit the ground even as Gavin’s fingers greedily groped at him. 

_Gavin wanted him._

That thought hadn’t had time to take seed in his thoughts before, but now that it had he felt himself shuddering with excitement. This wasn’t a hopelessly one-sided desire. Gavin reciprocated his feelings, even if it was only sexually.

His eyes snapped open as he heard the bathroom door click open. For a moment they were both awkwardly frozen as they stared at each other… Gavin wore nothing but a towel, his hair wet (somewhat curly, as predicted) and clinging to him, and his naked chest visible to Nines’ hungry eyes. Nines desperately took in the details of the human’s body, committing everything about Gavin’s body to memory. He had a great number of scars on his back and a few that carried over onto his chest and stomach, but they did nothing to mar his appearance. Gavin glanced down at himself briefly, aware of Nines’ gaze on his body, and abruptly turned to the closet to locate clothing. He didn’t tell Nines to stop looking, though. Not even as he dropped his towel and shifted to put on a clean pair of boxers and a new shirt.

He turned back toward Nines looking both bashful and curious. Nines locked eyes with him and watched Gavin shudder beneath his gaze. Gavin’s cheeks were softly pink, but he made his way over to Nines and sat on the edge of his bed beside the android.

“So… I… I’d like to understand… You like me… but you don’t want to have sex with me?” He was much more bashful than he usually was, but he was no less direct. Nines had always approved of how straight forward he was.

Nines frowned. “I never said that.”

Gavin’s nose wrinkled and he narrowed his eyes at Nines. “I may have been pretty drunk, but I know what you said. You didn’t want to fuck me, but you said you liked me.”

Nines sighed. “I want a relationship with you. And I wanted you to make that decision on your own — when you weren’t wasted and horny.”

Gavin was fidgeting with that ring again, twisting it around and around on his finger. “Why the hell would someone as put together as you want a fucking mess like me? The guys I’ve bothered to date all end up saying the same damn thing: I’m more work than I’m worth.”

Nines’ LED flashed red and then cycled through yellow back into blue. “You’re not a mess. You’re clearly dealing with something, but you’re far from undesirable. And I have yet to find you more taxing than rewarding.”

Gavin hesitated and Nines could see the battle he was waging with himself. He wanted so badly to believe Nines… but he didn’t want to let him in. The more Nines pushed, the more Gavin would pull away. Nines couldn’t risk that.

“I have no desire to pressure you into this, Gavin… If you’re not comfortable with intimacy then I can accept returning to our usual professional relationship.”

“Like hell! This hasn’t been a professional relationship for weeks now! I want…” Gavin hesitated. Hung up on the simple words that he clearly wanted to speak. “Fuck it, I want more… I just never thought you would too and damnit, Nines… Why the fuck would you chose me of all people?”

“Shouldn’t this make you happy? If we’re both interested in each other?”

“No! Of course not! If its a one-sided infatuation then I could get over you! And now… Now I’m going to want more, and you’re going to get tired of me.” He sighed, his hands were trembling so badly that he couldn’t even twist his ring properly. “It’s going to _hurt_ when you leave me.”

Nines’ LED flashed red again, pulsing anxiously as he listened to Gavin. “Why… Why would I get tired of you, Gavin?”

“I don’t know!” Gavin grumbled. “I’m a pain slut. No, whatever, I’m just a fucking slut. I feel like my chest is going to fucking explode and still all I can think about is whether or not I can convince you to fuck me before you leave.” He laughed miserably and curled his knees in to his chest. “I’m fucked up, Nines.”

His LED felt like it was stuck in the red. Listening to Gavin say these things about himself was shocking. He was usually so confident — self depreciating, yes, but confident to a point of arrogance. Was this the sort of thing he swallowed all day at work? The anxious fidgeting, the aggressive defensiveness… All because he was afraid of people getting close and hurting him. Nines couldn’t help himself as he pulled Gavin into his arms and held him tightly.

“Gavin…” He couldn’t think of the right words. His fingers brushed through the detective’s hair and down his back. “Talk with me. Tell me about yourself. I want to know what you like, what your interests include, everything.” He glanced awkwardly to the side even though he knew Gavin’s current position didn’t allow the man to see his face. “I’d like to know more about what you mean by pain slut… My databases have produced… a great deal of pornography in relation to that term… It makes it a little challenging to get a correct definition.”

Gavin laid against Nines’ chest, panicked and frozen, but as the android continued talking, Gavin’s tension slowly faded away. “Fuck, Nines. Really?” He laughed awkwardly before he lifted a hand to curl it into the other man’s shirt, clinging tightly to him. “Let’s talk then… If you’re so interested in my weird kinks.”

“I am,” Nines replied cheerfully.

Gavin chuckled, anxiety still clear in his voice, and shook his head. “Alright… What didn’t your databases explain to you — or, rather, what part of ‘pain slut’ isn’t clear?“

Nines thought about this for a moment. “It is a BDSM term… for someone who enjoys excessive pain, usually with sex?”

“You got it.”

Nines’ LED flashed momentarily. “You enjoy pain then? Greatly?”

“More than most people are willing to provide.”

Nines thought for a moment then added. “And you’ve got a sexual appetite to match this need for pain?” He pictured the man in the club and the man in the alley and frowned to himself. “Is this why you seek out random partners?”

“I prefer to have… a steady Dom… but, uhh, after my last one I was fucking frustrated and…” Gavin shifted, posture relaxing a little as he chewed on his lip. “And then you.”

Nines arched a brow. “And then me? Getting stuck with an android was that frustrating?”

Gavin laughed, the sound louder and more genuine than he had clearly intended judging by the way he ducked his head afterward. “Fuck. No. You were hot as fucking hell. You think I don’t have eyes? I mean, yeah, for a couple days I was ticked about having a partner — usually they fuck up my paperwork and get in my way — but you were good.” He coughed. “We actually worked really well together.”

“You refused to speak to me for over a week.”

“Well, yeah… It was a point of pride by then. You hear the way they gossip about me, why disappoint the office?”

Nines frowned. “You’d rather they believe you were an irate ass than a rational man?”

Gavin thought about it for a second and then nodded. “Yep. That works best for me. Keeps people at a safe distance, y’know? Everyone except for _you_.” He pulled away from Nines and then poked him between the eyes. “You just… kept following me around and being… unnecessarily nice. Even when I was shitty to you.” The detective looked away, clearly displeased with something. “I didn’t know what to do with it, so I pushed you away too.”

Nines nodded. “It was terribly unproductive.”

“Oh was it?” Gavin laughed roughly then scooted back into the bed, resting his back on the headboard and draping his legs over Nines’ lap.

For a moment Nines wasn’t able to process properly. One half of his attention said to reply and explain his point… and the other half was busy admiring Detective Reed’s well defined legs. He had a preference for fitted boxers as well, so the thin, fabric shorts did nothing more than accent his assets. This was probably intentional, and it had done its job well. It took him a moment to realize Gavin was staring at him — and he had been staring at Gavin’s crotch.

His LED flashed yellow and then returned to a calm blue as he cleared his throat. “Yes. If you’d been less hostile you might have noticed my interest in you much sooner.”

Gavin shuddered a little at that thought. “Is that why you were always showing up when I was out looking for trouble?”

Nines paused, LED turning red and then settling on yellow. “You were… You were trying to get yourself hurt! That’s what Tina was so worried about!”

Gavin balked, cheeks suddenly red as his gaze shot away to a point somewhere across the room to avoid Nines’ disapproving scowl. “Yeah.”

Nines relaxed a little, still frowning. “But you got rejected at the night club…”

“And usually some jackass would’ve come wandering out to pick my drunk ass up.”

“Except that I was there.”

Gavin trembled again at the memory of Nines holding him in the snow. Nines was also amused to note that Gavin was also getting aroused. His breath had quickened and the tight fabric of his boxers showed off the way his half-hard cock was straining against it. Nines had to swallow another wave of that desperate desire for Gavin as Gavin managed to find his words.

“Yeah… Except that you were there… And after that, you bastard, I couldn’t help but think about you. I didn’t think I’d like it so much… The idea of you possessing me. The fucking feeling of your fingers on my hips.” He bit his lip, still unable to look at Nines properly. “So even when I found hook ups… They were missing something.”

Nines smiled a little to himself, pleased despite Gavin’s clear frustration. “I wasn’t imagining it then… That you climaxed when you saw me, not because of the man you hooked up with?”

Gavin was a fierce shade of red now, and rock hard. Nines had to fight to keep focused on the detective’s face and not his impressive package. Gavin’s breath hitched, his body shuddered. There was shame in his expression, but excitement too. “Fuck… No, you weren’t imagining it. I didn’t want you to see me like that, but also… I did. The idea of you seeing me at my fucking lowest was…”

“Humiliating?” Gavin nodded, still unable to meet Nines’ gaze. “But you get off on that, don’t you Detective?”

Gavin bit his lip hard, struggling with his breathing and his focus. “Y-Yeah.”

Nines shuddered slightly but kept his composure. It was so… sexy… seeing his detective like this. Flushed, subdued… Humiliated was a good word, but he was also hard as a rock. Nines could even see the wet spot of precome forming where the cloth of his boxers clung to the head of his cock.

“Is that what you want, Gavin? For me to humiliate you?”

“F-fuck yes.” The words had clearly come out before Gavin could stop himself for the man’s hands shot to his mouth as if he could stop them — or anything else he might say.

Nines smiled. “Put your hands down.”

Gavin, to his surprise, obeyed him instantly and suddenly those gorgeous grey-green eyes were focused on him. Hungry and obedient, waiting for another command. Nines liked that. Liked that more than he had ever imagined he would.

“You’re already so hard… Just from remembering all that shame. Why don’t you give me a proper show this time?” Nines reached up, running his finger along the bulge in Gavin’s pants. His own chest tightened for a moment with the excited anticipation of what he was asking. “Let me see what a filthy man _my_ detective is.”

Gavin whimpered at the pressure of Nines’ wandering finger, but that request had his lips trembling and his chest heaving. He didn’t answer as he shifted, arching his hips up to press his boxers down around his thighs. He slumped back with a groan as his erection was freed from its prison and then reached down to wrap his hand around his own cock. Without taking his eyes off of Nines, he began to stroke himself. In seconds he was a trembling mess, bucking against his own hand as his chest heaved harder and harder.

Nines watched the display with greedy delight. Gavin was gorgeous, but the sight of him quivering _for him_ was something else entirely. Gavin was good with his hands too, he admired the way the man stroked himself, coaxing such lovely noises from his own lips even as Nines began to notice a frustrated twist to the man’s lips.

“Not enough, is it?”

Gavin looked like a kicked puppy for a moment, lips falling open into a helpless moan as he slowly shook his head. Nines had to wonder how much alcohol remained in his system. Was he taking advantage of Gavin by asking him to do these things? He leaned forward, enough to wrap his arms around Gavin, and brought his lips to the man’s ear.

“Come for me, Gavin.” Then he pressed his lips to Gavin’s ear and was thrilled to hear the man whimper desperately as he climaxed. Nines shuddered, he couldn’t help himself this time, and his grip on Gavin tightened a little. It took a moment to steady himself enough to speak. “Good boy, Gavin. Good boy.”

When he let Gavin go, the man slumped back against the headboard with a slightly dazed look in his eyes. He was still trembling, his chest still heaving, and Nines had done little more than kiss the edge of the man’s ear.

“You’re beautiful, Gavin.” Gavin didn’t have the energy to look embarrassed. He just panted softly, eyes locked on Nines’. “Will you be mine then? No more random hook ups… Just me.” He smiled warmly. “And you’ll have to be the one to get tired of me. I have no intention of letting you go once I have you.”

Gavin shuddered and then remembered that he was supposed to move, speak, anything. He nodded. “Yes. I’ll be yours.” Even through his haze, he smiled warmly. “Only yours.” As if he’d been anything else. From the moment Nines walked through the door of the station, Gavin had been his.


End file.
